A lengthy process of vinification and maturation transforms this raw material into the classic Brunello di Montalcino.

But varieties that are more international and less common in this area, such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Petit Verdot,
have also found their perfect habitat at Renieri.

Blends of these varieties make up two different IGT wines whose highly-respected quality prove that Sangiovese is not the only grape that flourishes in the Montalcino zone. In addition to these IGT wines, an important niche is reserved for Rosso di Montalcino, a wine distinguished from Brunello, its elder brother, by its hallmark early approachability, the result of a less complex ageing process. The local soils are largely volcanic, with strata of schistous limestone and rock. Classic to the area are soils made up of the reddish terra rossa, clays, and calcareous tufa.

The Vineyards

The Renieri tenuta, or winery estate, comprises 128 hectares in the southern quadrant of Montalcino, on slopes that face Monte Amiata.

Thirty hectares of vineyards are planted at an elevation of 350-420 metres, their exposures forming an arc from southeast to southwest.

Following the grubbing-up of the old vineyards, new vines were planted in 1998, at a density of 6,000 vines per hectare.

The yield at just one kg. per vine, the equivalent of one bottle of wine, entails the least stress per plant and ensures perfectly ripened fruit, and thus optimal quality.

The principal grape variety at Renieri is obviously Sangiovese.

A lengthy process of vinification and maturation transforms this raw material into the classic Brunello di Montalcino.

But varieties that are more international and less common in this area, such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Petit Verdot,
have also found their perfect habitat at Renieri.

Blends of these varieties make up two different IGT wines whose highly-respected quality prove that Sangiovese is not the only grape that flourishes in the Montalcino zone. In addition to these IGT wines, an important niche is reserved for Rosso di Montalcino, a wine distinguished from Brunello, its elder brother, by its hallmark early approachability, the result of a less complex ageing process. The local soils are largely volcanic, with strata of schistous limestone and rock. Classic to the area are soils made up of the reddish terra rossa, clays, and calcareous tufa.

The Cellar

The modern winemaking cellar in Montalcino, covering some 1,000 square metres, is built almost entirely underground. The harvested grapes are conveyed by gravity from the roof, beginning the itinerary that will bring the berries inside the cellar and into new stainless steel tanks for the initial fermentation at 29°-31°C.

A controlled temperature is absolutely essential for the protection of the yeasts present on the grape skins at the time of harvest. The tanks are equipped with automatic pumpover systems that can be programmed in cycles that will ensure maximum extraction of compounds from the skins. Maceration on the skins is one of the most critical steps in the winemaking process, since the compounds that will later determine the aromas and flavours are extracted during this process.

Macerations at Renieri average 3 to 4 weeks. All wines undergo malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, where the still-dirty wine drops its sediment and begins the long maturation process.

Following the malolactic fermentation, the wines at Renieri take different directions.

Brunello di Montalcino is given a double ageing, in an ageing facility on the ground floor of the casale, separate from the cellar, where humidity and temperature levels are constantly controlled. The initial ageing process takes place in barriques and lasts about 2 years, during which the sediments are removed by frequent racking. When the wine has become clear, it goes to large oak botti for the final period of ageing before bottling. This two-step process prevents the formation of reductive, or sulphide, odours in the wine from sediments that can build up over four years in the same container.

Rosso di Montalcino, Re di Renieri, and Regina di Renieri age in the underground cellar for varying periods, depending on the grape varieties, in lightly-toasted French Allier oak barriques.

A careful melding together of tradition and contemporary technology in the cellar, together with painstaking vineyard work preceding each harvest, yield wines of superb quality and remarkable distinctiveness.

The view shows a profound and intense ruby color. A great and complex nose. Flavours of red fruits and spices (graphite, vanilla, tobacco). In the mouth, the entrance is powerful but balanced by silky tannins. The final, very pleasing and balance, is very long and remains in the memory of the taster for many minutes.